He said that the statement being prepared for debate after lunch clearly answers all three requests of the primates. The document, he suggested, would meet with wide approval
Another source suggested that the house was, overall, pleased with the draft and the general sense was that it provides "clear answers." I asked this person whether they would satisfy the Primates. His reply: "Not likely"
We'll see. This is the thread to watch. I will be posting the live-blog of the floor debate here.
....................................................................................................................................
Bishops are filing back into the room. I am presently seated right next to the entance to the grand hallway leading to the grand-ballroom where the bishops meet. There is some suggestion that we will be looking at a heavily edited version of the original draft document presented by the drafting committee. The rumor about Bishops Stanton, Howe, Bruno and Chane drafting the resolution, may have been, as I warned, a rumor. It appears they are still working on the original doc, but heavily edited...
The bishops are still meeting in closed session...longer than expected..
....................................................................................................
We are still waiting here. It is 3:13pm CST. That means that they've been in closed session four about 45 minutes. I do not know what is happening. The press people are quite anxious. Canon Rosenthall is walking through the press gaggle, smiling, shaking hands.
...................................................................................................................
Mr. Schori, nice guy by the way, just asked an 815 "media coordinator" how long it will be. She had just emerged from the HOB chamber. "I don't know," she shrugged, "A little while..." It's now almost an hour since the bishops went in closed session.
Okay, the drafting commitee chair (+Wayne Wright I believe?) just emerged escorted by an 815 handler, headed back to a room down the hall...could be to do some editing...or printing/copying...he had his laptop open and was staring at the screen as he walked...
Here's Kendall's intell posted on titusonenine:
The sections cover a lot of interesting topics: Gene Robinson coming to Lambeth, for example, and boundary crossings. I hear that some of the language is so controversial the final form MAY need to be voted on by section.
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The press is now sitting on the floor. Patience is wearing thin. Jonathan Petre is walking around. Canon Rosenthall is still here in the room as are a number of bishops' aids, apparently they have been exiled along with the press...and I just realize that I've been borishly sitting on one of the only chairs here. I'm moving to the carpet.
______________________________________________________________-
Okay, we're in. I have a chair next to the power. The bishops are on break for 15 and then they'll be back. I am going to try to get a hold of the dock. I'll be back in 5
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No dice, the document is not out yet but here is this from TLC:
Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the other members of the joint steering committee of primates and the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) met late into the night Monday discussing language on the eight or so bullet points which might constitute an acceptable response from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the primates.
...
Archbishop Williams left New Orleans Sept. 21 to begin a pastoral visit in Armenia. All of the invited international visitors departed Tuesday morning with the exception of the Rev. Jim Rosenthal, director of communication for the ACC. Deacon Rosenthal said Archbishop Williams has already been briefed by representatives of the joint steering committee on the substance of the joint steering committee report to him.
Meanwhile Bishop Jefferts Schori has been meeting most of the day in private session with the bishops trying to obtain their consent on the wording developed during the joint steering committee meeting last night. Not all of the suggested changes have been received with universal enthusiasm from the bishops, and some have said they expect that at least some of the proposed changes may require an up-or-down vote....more
Okay, bishops are returning...still no doc
Calling the house to order.
KJS: I think we have a resolution from two committees, one dealing on “context” and the other on Racism:
Rabb: Distributed earlier was a res to be presented to the US congress dated sept 20th 2007. The commuitee on racism endorses this and I would like to move it
Second
KJS: Should we read it?
No
Curry: The sentence on the second page that starts…the Deep South has a history…I think maybe saying “we in our country…”
All in favor
Uninmous assemt
KJS: DO we have the contextual resolution: that should be read
A bishop stands up to make a point of order about the issue of racism. Brings up the Jena controversy. Says that he experienced a deep seeded racism in Jena that is so deep that the people do not know it exists. But he could see it. THat is the way it isin many parts of the country. Let us do more as a church to deal wiht this, he says.
I'll hold until these resolutions are over. There is alot of tension in the room.
KJS:Let me offer my reflections as the printer does its work. We gatered here in this place called NO in the aftermath of katrina and we ahve seen continuing racism and poverty and the long history of those here. We have seen teh rebuilding efforts and we go home transformed by that experience. They already are transformed by that experience. IT is our witness and presence that will make an impact over a ling time. I want to thank those of you who took part. This will allow people to have help and shelter adn food and help for congregations. This will be an ongoing thing.
The plannoin committee framed this meeting inthe context ofmission. our visitors were invited to eb in mission with us. They were part of our work and life here. We heard the echoes of our common mission throought our meeting. we are interconnected and interdependent. If one is ignored or shut out we all are. This has been an experience of rememberring in the rich sense of htat word. I give thanks for hte work we have done in reaching consensus. THat is a remarkable thing and we will confirm that in a few monments.
AS we go forward and proclaim this consensus we will do it in mission.
I hope you will share all of these things with your dioceses and also what it is like to be interdependent in mission and in life. God has blessed us with an amaxing community called TEC.
Applause...scattered
We have people to thank, our media briefers. I've heard wonderful things. WE thank the staff...those in my office, and in the commo office. Our chaplains, translation team,
Thank you to everyone
Applause:...
David Reed: You are a great group and I say that as a bishop who has sat through these meetings for a number of years...
Long standing Ovation
Quesiton: I also think we should thank the mission that made the prayer shawls....
Applause
KJS: We are waiting for the writing committee to return.
Question: I think it would be appropriate for us to make a statement about those who are dying in Iraq. I think it is important to express our support and to call for our troops to return. I ask that we add it to our already existing statement in the appropriate place
Second
KJS: All in favor
Unanimous yes:
Now they are dealing with some more mundane issues...everyone is waiting for the drafting committee to return...the drafting chair has entered....
Wright: When we met earlier you asked us to raft two docs 1. Describing our experiences here. 2. Responding to our Angican partners. We have spent the last days perfecting the response document.
First we will hear the Document describing our experiences (the context document)
A message from the bishops of the Episocpal Church
Greetigns in the name of our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ. We gathr in solidarity with the people if the GC region. We also have a deep desire to rebuild trust with our AC partners. This is what we are called to in our baptism. We have witnessed the renewal and rebuilding here in NO. We give thanks to God for the ongoing work of reconciliation also taking place in the AC. We express our thanks to our international guests who have honored and assisted us in our discernment which has reminded us of the gift of unity. We also thank God for the string ministry of KJS. Our shared experience strengthens our passionate commitment to remain full members of the AC. Our experience was rich. We are grateful for the warm hospitality shown to us here and moved by their efforts in the wake of Katrina . Through our work and conversation we were able to experience these challeneges first hand. One of the highlights of our week was the ecumenical service.
…this document is largely providing context for the second document. All of the fluff is in this one essentially. You can get a flavor for it. I’m going to save my fingers.
Here is the ending
While we acknowledge that we are not of one mind in all things we strive to be of one herart. Our PB reminded us that to go forward we were going to need to cooperate with the Spirit. This will require sacrifice for all. Communion requires that we all come to the foot of the cross.
The spirit of this meeting was good. We are thoughtful of the prayers around us and the blessings of all the men, women and children around the church.
Applause
KJS: Can I understand this applause as an acceptance by acclamation
YES
Done
KJS: Are we ready for the other document yet?
NO
KJS: Okay well why don’t we read out the resolution having to do with racism
We are getting a full draft. It will be up word for word momentarily:
House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007
A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion
Partners:
In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and
in the spirit of Resolution " A159 of the 75th General Convention, and
in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make
disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a
sign c?f the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the
world, we offer the following to The Episcopal Church, the Primates, the
Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with
the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in
Christ. :
"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its
blessings." 1 Corinthians 9: 19, 13.
Introduction
The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the
Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the
Anglican Consultative Council and the, Primates for accepting our
invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both
honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living
reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our
relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful
listening and straightforward dialogue with ommguests. We expressed our
passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The
Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our
guests"that the ' Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.
The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican,
Communion partners. We believe they provide clarity and point toward next
steps in an ongoing process of dialogue. Within The Episcopal Church
the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership: among
laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily
includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General
Convention.
50 Summary
51
52 • We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The
Election Of
53 Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing
Committees "to exercise
54 restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to
the episcopate whos.e
55 manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will
lead to further strains on
56 ·communion."
57 • We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing
of same-sex unions.
58 • We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
59 • We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops
and call for them to·
60 end.
61 • We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide
consultation in a manner
62 that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
63 • We call for increasing implementation of the listening process
across the Communion
64 and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
65 • We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to
explore ways for the
66 Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
67 • We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights,
safety, and dignity of
68 gay and lesbian persons.
69
70 Discussion
71
72 Re~olU1ion B033 of the 2006 General Convention
7.3
74 The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution ECO 11 of the Executive
Council. This Resol\;ltion 75 commends the Report of the Communion
Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the 76 Anglican Consultative
Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate 77
evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling
upon bishops ·with 78 jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise
restraint by not consenting to the consecration 79 of any candidate to
the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider
church 80 and will lead to further strains on communion. ,,! The House
acknowledges that non-celibate gay 81 and lesbian persons are included
among those to whom B033 pertains.
82
83 Blessing of Same-Sex Unions
84
85 We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for
use in our dioceses any 86 public rites of blessing of same-sex unions
until a broader consensus emerges in the
87 Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the
near future we hope to:OO 88 able to draw upon the benefits of the
Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is 89 important to
note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has
been adopted 90 or approved by our General Convention. In addition to
not having authorized liturgies the
I The Communion Sub-~up noted that "the resolution uses the language of
'restraint' • and the group no~ that there has been considerable
discussion since General Convention about the exact force of that word. By
requiring that the restraint must be expressed in a particular way - 'by
not consenting ... '. however. the resolution is calling for a precise
response, which complies with the force of the recommendation of the
Windsor Report." The group also noted "that while the Windsor Report
restricted its recommendation to candidates for the episcopate who .were
living in a same gender union, the resolution at General Convention
widened this stricture to apply to a range of lifestyles which present a
wider challenge. The group welcomed this widening of the principle, which
was also recommended by the Windsor Report, and commend it to the
Communion."
~003
2
...
91 majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of
same-sex unions. We do note that
92 in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond
with love and understandiqg
93 to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, " ...
[I]t is necessary to maintain a
94 breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral
care."
95
96 Episcopal Visitors
97
98 We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors
for dioceses that request ,
99 alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops
who are a part of and subJect
100 to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is
consistent with and analogous to
101 Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the
Windsor Report (paragraph
102 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves
for this ministry. We ;
103 hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the
Presiding Bishop will continue .
104 conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such
ministries. We appreciate and
105 need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.
106
107 Incursions by Uninvited Bishops
108
109 We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited
bishops in accordance with the
110 Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth
Conferences and the
111' Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common
prayer and long-
112 established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles
include respect for local!
113 jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of
dioceses and provinces. As w~
114 continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the
content of the Windsor Report,;we
115 call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions
likewise to honor the Windsor
116 Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal
pastoral care is being
117 provided for those who seek it.
118
119 . Communion-wide Consultation 120
121 In their communique of February 2007, the Primates proposed a
"pastoral scheme." At our .
122 meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this
scheme would compromise the
123 authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The
Episcopal Church at risk. The :
124 Executive Council reiterated our concerns and declined to
participate. Nevertheless, we
125 recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with
respect to the pastoral needs of
126 those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs
of gay and lesbian persons in
127 this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to
continue to explore such
128 consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution
and Canons.
129
130 The Listening Process
131
132 The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the
Anglican Communion to engage in
133 a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans
fully into the Church's
134 conversation about human sexuality. We look forward to receiving
initial reports about thiS'
135 process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference and to participating with
others in this crucial
136 enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts
conversation concerning homosexuality
137 is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican
Consultative Council (ACC) in this.
138 listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained
members of our constituent
139 churches, and so is well-placed to engage every part of the body in
this conversation. We .
3
09/25/2007 16:59 FAX 504 523 7310
HOTEL INTERCONTINENTAL
140 encourage the ACe to identify the variety of resources needed to
accomplish these
141 conversations.
142
143 The Lambeth Conference
144
145 Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Those
146 among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth
Conference look forwaId
147 to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged
in mission partnerships with
148 bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these
relationships. Lambeth offers a
149 wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.
150
151 We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet
received an invitation to the
152 conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has
expressed a desire to explore 'a
153 way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and
encourage our Presiding
154 Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is
our fervent hope that a way can be
155 found for his full participation.
156
157 Justice and Dignity for Gay and Lesbian Persons
158
159 It is of fundamental importance that, as we continue to seek
consensus in matters of human
160 sexuality, we also be clear and outspoken in our shared
comrrtitment to establish and protect the
161 civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at
every turn any action or policy
162 that does violence to them, encourages violence toward them, or
violates their dignity as children
163 of God. We call all our partners in the Anglican Communion to
recommit to this effort. As w¢
164 stated at the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim
the Gospel of what 00(,'1
165 has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human
being, and of justice, compassiion
166 and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or
Greek, no male or female,
167 no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's
children, including women~ are
168 full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We
proclaim the Gospel that in Christ
169 all God's children, including gay and lesbian believers, are full
and equal participants in the l!ife
170 of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any
violence, including violence
171 done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted
because of their differences,
172 often in the name of God."
@005
KJS: Is it your sense that this incorporates our discussion?
YES
Duncan: THis is a question about all voices being heard..Bill love made this point. it is in line 104 and 105
NJ: I realize I am going to be voted down. I want to delete the word "until a broader consensus emerges"
NO
Wolfe: I am worried about voting on this in consensus
KJS: Would you like to vote or recieve this by consensus
mixed
KJS: Let's vote. All in favor of this?
Aye
No (I only heard one voice)
Okay,
The resolution above is not yet corrected. We faxed it out and had it scanned, so what you see above is word for word as it was scanned. lines 1-50 were fluff.
The text will be corrected and fully posted momentarily
There was only one change and that was a change in the wording, not hte content.
The only objection was by Bishop Wolfe who did not think that this was the way to proceed.
Again, I only heard one voice raised in objection.
house in recess until march
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more up now
267 Comments •
Comments:
. Just sitting here knitting (like Emily!) praying we don’t get fleeced or have the wool pulled over our eyes. Then I’m going out to clean the barn - for some fresh air. My shoveling job is probably easier than the bishops’ or the live-bloggers’ jobs.
‘I asked this person whether they would satisfy the Primates. His reply: “Not likely”’
Ahhhh, an honest answer.
Thanks for the excellent effort on the live reports. They are greatly appreciated.